Weekly Photo Challenge: Wishing You a Happy New Year with a Photo Year in Review.

I remember a little conversation I had with myself on December 31, 2011. I made a mental note, almost a declaration, that I was going to do all I could to slow down. I was not going to rush from one calendar event to the next. There would be no talk about “how time flies.”

I was about as determined as I could be to savor the moments and enjoy the year.

Despite my self-talk, time DID fly. In fact, this year passed in what feels like record time, and yet I discovered that at the same time I DID savor so many precious moments. This was a challenging year for our family, but it was also a very good year. A happy year.

I don’t always have time to follow WordPress topic prompts, but when it was suggested I might enjoy the weekly photo challenge: My 2012 in Pictures, I thought that would be fun. I spend a lot of time looking back at favorite photos, so I decided to play along.

Here are some of my favorites in a 12-month review. Just scroll over the photos to reveal the caption.

Carefree on the Bridge Walk

Cactus Blossoms

Traveling Vietnam War Memorial

Birthday trip to Las Vegas–Beatles’ LOVE

Darwin’s Beautiful Shell

The Queen and I share a Diamond Jubilee

My favorite little girls

One Small Act

My pelican friend

On the boardwalk, Newport Beach

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Laguna Beach Coastline

The Hollywood Bowl

USS Iowa

The proverbial Fork in the Road

California Wildflowers

Hummingbird in Flight

Sophia and Karina

Mr. Pelican preening

Christmas flowers

California Surfer Dude

So here we are at another year’s end, December 31, 2012. Tonight Jay and I are headed to the Disney Concert Hall for a New Year’s Eve performance. Pasadena is gearing up for its famous Happy New Year Party with marching bands and majestic floral floats, the 124th Annual Rose Parade, themed, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” If you are unfamiliar with this marvelous event, I shared some photos last year and you can review them here.

This year I won’t bother to have the discussion about slowing down. It’s going to be a very full year, and anyway, I have had to take a closer look at myself. I am always on the go to somewhere, and I don’t do a lot to invest in slowing down. Time to get real!

And I’m tremendously pleased and looking forward to our son getting married this year. We will be welcoming a new daughter into the family sometime this spring or early summer. There’s a ring and a promise…and they’re working on the details.

So another year comes to a close and seamlessly a new year begins. And I’ll wish everyone a year of finding happiness and contentment in each day whether you’re interested in slowing down or not. Simply put, Happy New Year!

I’m glad you joined the Photo Challenge this week Debra – What a wonderful collection of photos. I love the Newport Beach photo, and am most impressed with the surfer dude picture.

I also can’t get over how quickly the year has sped by. One of my new year resolutions is that I have to slow down in 2013.

What great news that your son’s getting married Debra. My congratulations to the happy couple!

I can hardly believe that we only met about a year ago, because I feel as though I’ve known you much longer than that. I always enjoy my visits to your blog – your posts are so interesting and your photos are brilliant – and I look forward to getting to know you away from our blogs.

i feel the same with you, Rosie. I look forward to spending time with you again soon…I’ll email you soon with a calendar check!

We are excited about the wedding plans…well, we have no plans yet. LOL! It will be interesting to see what they decide. They are very independent and don’t need me to help them decide how to do it.

Happy VERY HEALTHY new year to you, my friend. I, too, can’t believe we haven’t known one another much longer than this short time. Blogging does seem to bring people closer very quickly. What a lovely thing! oxo

Thank you, Koji. You have a great New Year’s Eve doing whatever sounds like the best way to usher in a new and probably very busy 2013! I’m glad I could share my photos and find them appreciated. I enjoyed the chance to look back at the year and remember many happy times! Ilike the word superific. I’m going to start using it! :-)

Oh thank you, Claire. For some reason the masks of the Queen really make me laugh, too. There is something so odd about my respect for her, which is authentic, and then these silly masks. I’m glad you like them, too.

It’s been a full year for all of us, hasn’t it? I look forward to spending the new year with you. I so enjoy your company! oxo

Happy New Year Debra, your photos are beautiful it makes me want to do a year in photos too! Somehow I think all my photos we be of food though! I am a little obsessed… Maybe that should be my new years resolution, to take more photos of my life outside food ;) thanks so much for being my top commenter of the year, I really appreciate your support! Here’s to a fabulous 2013! xx

Your top commenter? I’m so surprised, but that’s lovely! I love your gorgeous photos and how your site is visually so appealing. It’s like a great magazine! And I do love the vegetarian recipes. :-) I guess I could be your top commenter because I think of you when you’re not current with a blog. I had been wondering about you during the holidays and looking for a post. I think you have such a very full life…but you’re missed when you’re not posting.

Don’t hesitate to share a photo review! Your photos, even if they are mostly food, would be welcome! Some of your settings and the way you display your food is so gorgeous, I recommend you do that! Happy New Year, my friend. I really hope that the new year brings you much success in your worderfully creative endeavors! oxo

Amazing how many of those photos I recall … and even some of the instances. Enjoy the concert hall tonight! Happy New Year to you … and may many blessings fall your way in 2013 … and Oh …. congrats on the upcoming addition to the family. :)

Thank you for being such a positive and encouraging blogging voice, Frank. I think of you as the “voice of reason” in world that doesn’t draw from that well as often as I would hope! :-) I consider you a good friend. Blessings to you in 2013.

Burt Wolf says that how we live on New Year’s Eve sets the stage for the coming year. So . . .

On this fine day, be of good cheer
Set a positive tone for the coming year
Laugh when you can, eat when you must
Take out the trash, and sweep up the dust
Greet the new year with a smile and you’ll see
That happiness abounds when we “just be.”

So happy to hear of the upcoming wedding! And loved the pictures. Thanks for doing such a good job on your blog. I feel like we chat every week!! Love and God’s very best for you all in the new year! Kathy

Thanks, Kathy. What does that say when a cousin learns about the wedding through a blog post. Oops! I will have to speak to the “happy couple” about that! Talk about a generation gap in communication methods! LOL! Hugs to you guys, too, for a very happy new year. Miss you!

Happy New Year to you, Debra. I love all the photos. We can’t honk our horns unnecessarily here or the police give you a $350 fine! How exciting that your son is getting married. What a great moment in all your lives – but yes, I can see 2013 will be a busy one for you xx

The New Year is officially underway, isn’t it, Charlie! I hope your family enjoyed the year-end festivities and that we can keep some of the holiday sparkle in our lives for a little while. All the build-up and then it is over so fast! I’m sure you’re going to have a busy year, too…I keep up with the stories of your three children! Busy!! :-)

What a great post, Debra, and wonderful look back at 2012. My favorite photo would have to be the one in which you’re seated, wearing a tiara, with not one but 2 Queen Elizabeths. Of course, with 2 Queens present, anything less than a tiara would have been so untoward. So few understand protocol these days. ;)
I hope you, the Queens, and the rest of your family have a most Happy New Year.

I had fun with the photo challenge, too, John. I think I might make more of an effort to jump in with some of the WordPress challenges this year. I say that now. :-) I laugh every time I look at the photo of the girls with the Queen Elizabeth masks! They were such good sports and had absolutely no idea why their mom and I were laughing so hard. And one of my best friends purchased them on-line and had them shipped to me from England. So I’m glad you liked that photo, too. Something silly for me to remember about 2012–sharing a Golden Jubilee with Queen Elizabeth! I am back to work tomorrow after a week of vacation…I think the new year is officially in progress!

Thank you so much for the compliment regarding my two little granddaughters. I think it’s fairly obvious that I’m just crazy about them! Like all children, they are just growing up a little too fast! :-)

Beautiful pictures, beautiful poem, Debra. Thank you for a year of uplifting posts, for introducing us to your family and the fascinating background to your part of the world. Happy New Year to you and yours- may it be a great one.

I am glad you enjoyed the photos of some of my “favorites” from 2012, Kate. It pleases me to be able to share from my family and our simple lives, and to know that we can reach across the many miles and share a friendship. I think that blogging relationships are simply fascinating. I do hope, and expect, that your year will be full of many happy and satisfying experiences. I adore hearing about your family life and the stories that include the children. oxo

You’ve made it a happy year, Debra and I loved your photos of 2012. I especially love the two of Sophia and Karina. When we were that young, time seemed to stand still, didn’t it? Perhaps it’s supposed to get busier and faster so we don’t miss a thing? I have really treasured your writing, your visits and your comments, they inspire and motivate me always. I love that you want to “get real” this year… and what a time to get real.. a new wedding and daughter-in-law is such a time for a whirlwind and a celebration. I’m so happy for you and your family. When two people fall in love it is just the most precious gift of all. Wishing you a joyous 2013, Deb, I look forward to sharing it with you along the way!! xx

Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Barb. I really do think of you as my “friend to the north” and it’s a great gift to be able to share back and forth. You’re right that I’m very excited about our expanding family. There are so many things that cause stress in our daily lives, but the love of family is the best antidote to that, I find. I also wish the same for you and your dear family, too, Smidge! oxo

What a wonderful reflection of your 2012 with all these pictures. Well done! I think in our busy-ness, we can take the time to slow down in the small moments and it is those that refresh us, like a cup of tea in the afternoon or walk on the beach. Your writing, and, if I may, your internet friendship, has inspired me and enlightened me in many, many ways; from your family and those darling girls, to your love of books and art of all kinds, to your wonderful history lessons of California. They make me all the richer, Debra. Thank you. I AM breathing lighter.

Penny you warmed my heart with your comment. You most certainly are my Internet friend. It is just so much fun to share what interests me and then to share a conversation with you. And I feel the same when I read about life on the Cutoff! I do love sharing our grandmother experiences, too. I am entering 2013 with high hopes that this year will be healthy and full of many special moments. And I’m wondering if you’re going to send out another invitation to view Downton Abbey? I just loved that last year. :-) We’ll have to discuss it once it airs. oxo

Fantastic set of shots :-) I love the young ladies with their whispy hair – they won’t thank you for that later and that innnocence will disappear in a very short time. In just a couple of years the hair will be very much under control ;-)

I wonder if Blogger could be encouraged to help support more photos? There must be a way for them to expand. Although I must say that sometimes photos for me become the “easy” way to tell a story. I admire the bloggers who don’t rely on them! So you tell a wonderful story without photos, and I never once seem to miss them. I don’t think I got the chance to go back and respond to your last post…I’ve been reading from my phone in between other activities! But I have been wondering about that flooding you showed after all the rain. I was just amazed. Hope you continue to do well and that the new year is full of health and well-being. oxo

What better ways to begin a new year than with a child getting married and a new grandchild to look forward to! (This past year, we’ve been blessed with two new granddaughters, and we have another grandchild on the way.) Thank you for visiting and following my blog. Enjoy every moment.

Grandchildren are such a blessing, aren’t they? I have more fun and laugh a lot more frequently because of their precious ways. Congratulations on the baby to come. It’s lovely when a family expands. I will enjoy getting to know you more through your blog. As I said, the name of your blog immediately drew me in. I knew we’d have much in common! :-)

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

The power of the exhale….ahhhhhhh!

It's important to break the routine and monotony of everyday stress. We all have it...even too much a good thing can be stressful.

But for me, a change in scenery is often all it takes. I explore the history of where I live, Southern California, combining research with hands-on learning in the form of local field trips.

It's amazing how much better you can feel with a little history project. You may not have a lot of interest in Southern California but I encourage you to take a sample from my playbook, and do the same where you live.